We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful AnnMarie Santamarina. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with AnnMarie below.
Hi AnnMarie , thanks for joining us today. Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?
My mission is to create safe & brave spaces where we can talk about our fears, doubts, resistance, and any of the other nasty voices in our heads that hold us back.
I’ve worked in male-dominated industries my entire career. After 20 years of owning an IT company, I made the decision to sell it and pursue other interests. My coach had been telling me for years that I had a certain knack in how I communicated, especially in an industry where I was mainly interfacing with men, and I realized that there were many other women who were in similar positions, and as a result, lost themselves to versions that were created by others.
From the outside, no one would ever think of me as insecure, or a people pleaser, but the truth is I was, and had so much more attached to that. I carried around a story of abandonment, and this notion that when people got to know me, they would ultimately leave. What I’ve learned is that women (and men) are carrying around stories and limiting beliefs that don’t serve them at their highest potential. As a coach, speaker, and author, it is my mission to bring this topic to the forefront. I create spaces where we can be vulnerable, even in the workplace. Actually, I think that’s where it’s most critical. I provide content, and conduct workshops where we talk about topics that are not typically given room in a professional setting. As a connection coach, my focus is intentionality, and my model encompasses what it means to live an intentional life, including, but not limited to, intentional communication.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
As an IT business owner, I used to say that my job was 90% listening. For many of my clients, IT was not their expertise, it was a role they inherited in addition to their main job. Sometimes they were owners who needed to make decisions about something they were not deeply knowledgeable about. What I realized is that I’ve been coaching for most of my career, in different aspects. I took a coaching course, and loved what it offered. I also had been working with a coach myself since 2013 and was very clear about the value that engaging a coach provided. I provide 1:1 coaching for clients that want to focus on a certain area of their lives where they want to make a change, or just give themselves the gift of connecting back to themselves. Self-connection is one of the greatest investments you can make.
In addition to coaching, I wanted to pursue my passion of building community, so I started working with organizations to deliver content within their community. I was mostly focused on bringing women within these communities together. When you work in IT, and you are in a room of 100 people, there is typically likely to be less than 20% women. I had participated in other women’s organizations, but I didn’t want to bring us together just to complain about how difficult it was, and at times it was extremely difficult.
My goal is to foster connection that helps others to learn they are not alone. We tend to assume that we are the only ones having these experiences, and the truth is, that is rarely true. But we are afraid to talk about it, so we don’t, and we suffer in silence. I realized that by having these conversations, others saw themselves in someone else’s experience, and as a result found great solace.
I also enjoy working with businesses that want to get more intentional about their culture and walk the walk, not just talk the talk. Many companies say all the right things, but if you look behind the curtains, they are not always practicing what they say. I work with organizations that want to bring their teams together, and allow for vulnerability which ultimately leads to strong connection for their employees, building greater trust amongst their teams.
What I strive for in my work, is to be creative with the content I deliver, and the format through which I deliver it – without limits.
I recently wrote a book, titled From Survival To Safety: My Story of Adoption and Intentional Growth. That experience was such a gift for me. It’s a memoir about my own adoption, and the story of abandonment I attached to so many relationships and situations in my life. It published in late June, 2023, and I am excited to embark on this next piece of my own journey, as an author.
We’d appreciate any insights you can share with us about selling a business.
In 2018, we sold our 20 year IT company. The process of selling had many nuances, but I was very clear on our objectives. We had a strong team, and a loyal client base, and we wanted to make sure that wherever we landed, both were taken care of, and that all of our employees had a place at the new firm. I was unsure about my own personal future, so securing the right role for me was less of a priority. We met with several companies during the process of seeking the right partner to acquire us. Understanding culture fits was a big deal, as I had known others that did not bode as well as we did when their firm was acquired or a merger took place.
After almost five years with the new firm, we have only lost two of the 45+ clients we moved over which speaks volumes! The employee retention is not as strong, but there are several people that have done very well, and it was a great long term fit for them. I am not one of those people, but as I mentioned it was my intention to move on from IT support into a different direction with a different mission.
Where do you think you get most of your clients from?
I have always been a fan of referrals. Though our IT firm reached almost $3M in annual sales, with over 30 percent of that in monthly recurring revenue (contract clients), we never had a strong sales team. I did most of the sales and marketing, so I had to rely on relationships and partnerships. And they always came through. I would say about 90 percent of our business came through referrals of some sort.
When I started my coaching practice I thought I would need to start a whole new network, since I didn’t immediately see the bridge from where I currently was, to where I was headed. Today I still have many great partnerships, and referral sources. I am in the process of launching a formal affiliate marketing program with other coaches that I work with in varying modalities. My mindset has always been that there is plenty of business to go around, and it’s proven true for me to this date. I even prioritize having good relationships with some of my competitors. We can’t be everything to everyone, and I always want my clients to have access to the best. Sometimes I am that person for them, and sometimes there is a better solution for a specific need. My goal always is to provide my client with the best available expertise. That is why I spent time and energy cultivating a strong network of professionals. It’s a formula that has proven success for over thirty years, so why change it now?
Contact Info:
- Website: www.connectwithannmarie.com
- Instagram: @connectwithannmarie
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/annmarie.santamarinahidalgo
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annmarie-santamarina-417b935/
Image Credits
Michelle Yacovello Alyse Brady, Vonage